


We'd Come So Far

by bondlikejames96



Series: Celeste Trevelyan [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Corypheus is dead yay, Cullen Rutherford Fluff, Dragons, F/M, Fluff, Panic, Post-Corypheus, Romance, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-31
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 04:06:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4464848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bondlikejames96/pseuds/bondlikejames96
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inquisitor Celeste Trevelyan and her companions venture out into Thedas for the first time since the defeat of Corypheus. There are many rifts yet to be closed, and many dangers left undiscovered in the expanse of the Emprise. The party is not quite prepared for the things they find waiting beyond the bridge, and things go awry very quickly.<br/>Cullen receives a report in the middle of the night, and realizes that from Harding's report, Celeste and her companions should have returned days ago. He sets out on his own to find her, whatever the cost.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(Basically, Lacy is terrible at summaries and this is my first Dragon Age fic so be gentle)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sharp Eyes, Careful Steps

**Author's Note:**

> In which Celeste enjoys being out of Skyhold for a while, and Bull makes fun of Dorian. And then shit hits the fan.

"May I just ask again, dear cousin, why you absolutely _insisted_ on dragging me to this Maker-forsaken frozen tundra?" Dorian's voice was muffled by the heavy woolen scarf he had wrapped over his nose and mouth, but his horse was close enough to Celeste's that she could still make out what he was saying. She turned to him, flashing a grin as his eyes narrowed petulantly.

"Well Dorian, I know how much you love to travel. And besides, I couldn't very well leave you behind if I was planning on bringing Bull out here. That wouldn't be very kind of me." As if on cue, the massive qunari appeared at Celeste's right side, eyebrows waggling ridiculously and leaning an elbow on the antlers of the red hart he favored for travelling.

Dorian rolled his eyes and turned back to the front, gathering the reigns tighter in his gloved hands. "I don't know how you southerners stand this. I'm wearing three layers of socks and I still can't feel my toes."

"Ah, you poor Vint," Bull said with a self-righteous smirk. "What's the matter? Not enough slaves around to rub your footsies? Are your poor little toesies cold?"

Even though most of Dorian's face was obscured by his scarf, Celeste could clearly see his outrage in the tilt of his eyebrows and the furious spark of lightning at his fingertips.

"I'll have you know," he hissed through the fabric, "that my footsies are _freezing_ , thank you!"

There was a sudden outburst of laughter from behind them, where Cassandra had been riding in silence for some time. Sensing that he was now thoroughly outnumbered (as usual), Dorian huffed and shook his head, spurring his horse on a little faster. Celeste followed with a grin, her favorite Orlesian courser easily matching the pace of the smaller Imperial gelding that Dorian usually chose.

The cobblestones of the newly-rebuilt bridge clattered beneath the hooves of their mounts, filling the companionable silence that was peppered with quiet laughs and repeated mutterings of _"I hate you all"_ from Dorian. 

Celeste hummed to herself, reveling in the crisp air of the Emprise. This excursion was her first since the defeat of Corypheus. They'd had a few weeks to stop and take a breath at Skyhold, while Josephine worried herself silly over planning the celebrations and visits from dignitaries. During that time, Celeste had quickly grown restless from the lack of travel. Her legs longed for the stretch and burn of jogging up a hillside, and her skin felt like it was crawling sometimes from her lack of using magic around Skyhold.

Cullen had certainly done his best to keep her occupied, but even he seemed to still have work to do around the hold. Reports came in every day about straggling groups of Venatori and small clusters of Red Templars that he could swiftly dispatch troops to deal with. Now that the Inquisition's forces had grown to such great strength, a huge load had been taken off of Celeste's shoulders. Her main focus now, besides rebuilding settlements and determining the future of the Inquisition, was to eliminate what few rifts now remained scattered across the continent. This had been deemed her most important task, and she'd been eager to get on the road.

It was proving to be even more interesting than she'd expected, what with massive Pride demons apparently congregating in the Emprise, huge lingering clusters of red lyrium, and the ferocious packs of massive wolves that hounded their every step. Coupled with Bull's incessant comments about 'titsicles', Celeste was quickly tiring of life on the road. While she enjoyed the exercise and finally having the time to explore the farthest reaches of Ferelden and Orlais, she longed to be back in Cullen's arms in her luxurious bed in Skyhold. But she was enjoying the burn of frosty air in her lungs, and the companionship of her friends made it all the better.

"What is that big building up there?" Bull said from somewhere behind her, and she turned to see where he was pointing. Her eyes followed his finger to the distant horizon on their left. Try as she might, she couldn't make out much by way of detail about the structure, but it looked massive and most likely worth checking out.

"Let's head that way," Celeste said, and the rest of the party nodded and fell in behind her. She spurred her horse into a trot, squinting her eyes against the bracing wind. As they rode towards the large structure Bull had spotted, Cassandra pointed out a flash of green far off to their right. Celeste made a mental note of it and kept going, furrowing her brow as they reached the base of the mysterious building.

As she dismounted, a feeling of unease settled over her, and she could tell by the wary grabbing of weapons that her companions felt it as well. "Keep your eyes sharp," she said quietly, pulling her staff from over her shoulder. They slowly treaded around the base of the wall, taking care not to slip as the ground beneath them sloped downwards. When they reached what appeared to be the entrance to a cave, Celeste looked around at her companions. Without another word, Bull nodded and took his place directly behind her, with Cassandra taking her right side and Dorian taking her left. As quietly as she could, Celeste stepped cautiously forwards, easing through the tunnel until she saw light and snow not too far ahead. When she took her first footstep back into the light, her staff ignited and every hair on her body stood on end. A low, threatening rumble echoed through the air, and suddenly Celeste realized why she had heard what sounded like distant thunder on her previous travels in the Emprise.

A massive dragon sprawled on the ground before them, growling in deep slumber. It was, without a doubt, the biggest dragon they had thus far encountered  -  and by far the most terrifying.

"Well holy shit," came a loud whisper from Bull. " _Look_ at that beauty." The entire cavernous space seemed to reflect the orange glow of the dragon's head, as though its very skin were made of embers. Celeste quickly tried to think back to all of the other dragons they'd taken down, and what strategies hadn't nearly gotten the whole team killed in the process.

Cassandra's voice was soft, strained in her efforts not to wake the slumbering beast ahead of them. "That's a Ravager. Ready your fire potions, Inquisitor. She will not go down easily."

"Do they ever go down easily?" Celeste muttered, feeling the tips of her fingers starting to ice over. With a quick glance to her companions and a nod of confirmation, she let off a massive burst of energy, focusing a swirl of snow and frost over as much of the dragon as she could manage. Bull and Cassandra, quite familiar with the dragon-killing routine by now, quickly took up their usual positions attacking the creature's legs, while Dorian went to setting barriers around the warriors.

Just when things seemed to be going favorably, the huge predator reared back and let out a horrendous scream. Celeste fell to her knees in shock, eyes screwed up from the pain of her eardrums bursting. Echoes of the screech rang throughout the stone arena, rendering her helpless for what seemed like an eternity. When she finally managed to stagger back to her feet, her eyes locked on to a smaller creature rushing in from the path they had come in on. As it grew closer, she let out a groan of exhaustion and summoned her strength to send a barrage of ice towards the dragonling, sighing in relief when it went down with a squeal.

But then, just as they had gotten back into the pattern of taking down the Ravager, it let out another furious screech, and this time no less than five dragonlings came barreling into the clearing. Orbs of fire and ice collided in the air around them, interspersed with flashes of lightning and sparking steel. Though her ears were still ringing, Celeste heard a strangled cry from Cassandra's direction. When she turned to throw up a barrier around the Seeker, Dorian screamed out, "I'm too pretty to die!"

"Bull, help Dorian!" Celeste snapped, tossing a healing potion to the qunari a few feet ahead of her. Her attention returned to Cassandra, but the warrior had fallen in the moments Celeste had spent ordering Bull around. She knew that she was running low on mana, but she was also painfully aware of the fact that, without Cassandra, they certainly wouldn't survive this fight. A brief glance over her shoulder confirmed that Bull was guarding Dorian while he caught his breath, so Celeste pooled all of the strength she could find and bathed Cassandra's crumpled form in vibrant green light. For a few moments, she thought that perhaps the revival spell hadn't worked, when the Seeker made no attempt to move. But then, to her great relief, Cassandra's head lifted slowly and her eyes blinked in confusion, widening when she realized where they were and what they were doing. After tossing her another health potion, Celeste dove behind a large boulder and took a second to summon her strength.

She could hear Cassandra’s enraged scream over the clash of scales and steel, and Bull was hollering joyously from the rush of battle adrenaline. Celeste looked down into her bag, trying to take a quick inventory of what potions she had left. The pack was too light for her tastes, and as she carefully shuffled what few bottles remained, she realized that they only had two health potions left. The dragon was already significantly weakened, but if it called more of its children, Celeste wasn’t sure that they would be able to make it out with their lives. She would have to focus on supporting the others, to keep them from sustaining any further injuries.

White light poured from her fingertips, bathing her companions in protective energy. Knowing that she had their backs seemed to invigorate them even further, as both of the warriors’ strikes increased in pace and fervor. When the dragon began to raise up onto its hind legs, panic shot through Celeste’s veins and she let out a cry of warning to the others. Bull’s concentration never faltered - as the beast took in a massive breath to roar, Bull’s greatsword arced through the air and lodged into one of the dragon’s hind legs. Crippled, it fell forward gracelessly, forelegs sprawled across the earth. The four companions all took the advantage, shooting off every high-powered attack they could manage.

Finally, with a last shuddering breath of flames, the beast grew still. Nobody spoke or even moved for a long minute, until the fiery glow of the dragon’s skin had grown dark and cold.

Bull was the first to break the silence.

“ _Tamassran’s tits_ , that was awesome!” In the span of a moment, he had wrapped a beefy arm around Dorian’s waist and hauled him onto his shoulder with a hearty laugh. Too exhausted to argue, the mage just grunted, muttered a half-hearted insult, and laid his head down to rest on one of Bull’s large horns. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed at the jovial qunari, as she sheathed her sword and slung her shield over her shoulder.

“Honestly, ‘awesome’ isn’t the word I’d use for that. But,” she said with a weary groan, rubbing a shoulder with her hand, “at least we are alive.” Celeste nodded in agreement, running a quick visual scan over everyone. She didn’t see any major wounds, but there was always the chance that something had occurred internally.

“Any injuries?” Bull and Cassandra both shook their heads, but Celeste didn’t miss the way that Cassandra was putting very little weight on her left leg. The warrior’s eyes met her own, and she realized that she’d been caught in her lie.

“It’s nothing, Inquisitor. I will just need to walk it off.”

“Here, Cass,” Celeste said with a firm but kind glance, as she pulled out one of the two remaining potions and tossed it to Cassandra. She downed it quickly, and shot a small, grateful smile back at the mage as she wiped a trickle of the potion from the corner of her mouth.

Dorian’s head lifted from Bull’s horn then, his eyes glazed with exhaustion. “I do think something managed to nab my shoulder, Celeste. Might as well take care of it now.” With a nod, she moved closer as Bull slowly kneeled in the snow, keeping an arm wrapped around Dorian’s legs so the mage wouldn’t lose his balance. She took a moment to calm her mind, and then allowed healing magic to emanate from her palms. The crease between Dorian’s brows instantly vanished, and he let out a small groan of relief as her hands passed slowly over his collarbones and shoulder blades. After a few moments of healing, Dorian nodded at Celeste and she let her magic rest.

“Better, Dorian?”

He responded with a yawn and a sleepy nod, nestling back against Bull’s horn as he stood up once more. Celeste looked around at the carnage around them. “I just need to pick up a few of these things,” she said as she strode towards the dragon’s corpse. “Some of this could be useful.” When she’d gathered the things that seemed most worth her time, and somehow managed to cram it all into the various pockets of her robes and satchel, she waved a hand toward her companions and they followed her back to their mounts up the hillside.


	2. Fallen Friends, Open Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Celeste and her companions run into further trouble, after already being weakened by a run-in with a dragon.

Celeste pulled some of the bulkier items back out of her satchel and stowed them in her saddlebags. As she swung a leg up over the saddle, she smirked at the sight of Dorian leaned up against Bull, arms wrapped securely around his waist as they settled atop Bull’s hart. Bull had tied the reigns of Dorian’s horse around the horn of his own saddle to keep the mischievous little creature from wandering off. When everyone seemed ready to go, Celeste spurred her horse into motion.

Cassandra rode close to Celeste's side, scanning the path ahead of them for trouble. They continued up the hill, until Cassandra gently placed a hand on Celeste's shoulder and pointed with her other hand to a green glow a hundred paces off.

"Inquisitor, I do not think this is wise," the warrior sighed, shaking her head and picking up the reigns of her mount once again. "That looks like a rather large Rift, and we do not have the supplies necessary to heal all of us, should something happen. It would be best to return to camp for a few days, at least to rest and restock."

"I'm inclined to agree," Dorian said wearily, mumbling against the leather of Bull's armor.  Celeste looked to Cassandra, to the glow of the Rift ahead, and back down to her satchel, which she knew was practically empty now. She nodded and gave a gentle tug on the reigns, turning the horse around to head back the way they'd come. It had been a clear and easy ride in, so Celeste was content to set a slow and relaxed pace back towards the bridge. She was already imagining the warmth of the furs in her tent, of settling down and succumbing to the weight of a deep sleep. Perhaps she would write a letter back to Cullen, telling him of the dragon they'd taken down - leaving out the details of being run down to one health potion out, of course. He did worry ever so much whenever she was away, even now that the main threat of Corypheus had been eliminated.

Even Bull looked exhausted now, his shoulders slumped forward as his hart plodded on contentedly. Celeste made a mental note to check over her qunari friend when they reached the camp. He wouldn't openly complain about any minor aches or injuries, especially not in front of Dorian, but Celeste wanted him at his best if they were to venture back out to the Rift they'd just seen. She'd make sure to check in with Cassandra and Dorian, too, though they were usually at least a little more open with her when it came to injuries.

They rode on in silence, Celeste glancing to her right every few moments at the huge ravine beside the path they now followed. There was still a good ten feet between her horse and the edge of the cliff, but it was no less unsettling to be so close to such a massive drop. Shaking her head, she gave her horse a sharp little kick to speed up, eager to put the day behind her. At least they were close now to the bridge, and Celeste could just make out the light of a fire from the camp on the other side.

Suddenly, there was a sound from ahead, something halfway between a strangled, angry yell and a feral growl. Celeste suddenly felt very cold, and not because they were surrounded by ice and snow. A mountain of red lumbered before them, coming around the corner at the head of a group of Red Templars. Cassandra sucked in a quick breath, hoping that the lyrium-infected monstrosities hadn't seen them yet. 

But when the behemoth's glowing scarlet eyes locked on Celeste, they all knew they were in serious trouble. Bull abruptly elbowed Dorian to wake him into action. Cassandra slid gracefully from her horse and was racing towards the Templars before Celeste could even manage to get her foot out of the stirrup. Bull went running off after Cassandra, and Dorian and Celeste got as close as they could. There was no way around the Templars here, with a cliff to their right and a wall of stone to their left - nothing but a massive Rift remained behind them if they were to turn around.

Celeste's fist crackled with electrical energy as she pulled her staff from her back. As she let off round after round of attacks, her heart lifted when a few of the Templars began to fall. Bull and Cassandra were focused on the Behemoth, taking turns hacking and distracting it.

But then one of the remaining Templars got a shot on Bull, his sword finding purchase in the qunari's calf, and the lumbering warrior toppled forward with an outraged roar. He still swung his broadaxe as best as he could from the ground, doing his best to knock the enemies over. As one fell beside him, Bull rolled over, grunting with pain, and wrapped a muscled forearm around the Templar's neck. There was a sharp crack, and then the Templar grew still, allowing Bull to pick up his broadaxe once again and resume swinging. Celeste realized that with Bull down, the remaining warriors and the Behemoth were quickly overwhelming Cassandra.

She reached for the enchanted hilt at her side, meeting Dorian's eyes and giving a swift nod as a crackling yellow blade emerged. Dorian nodded back in understanding, throwing a barrier over the warriors as Celeste charged forward into the fray. When she reached Cassandra's side, the warrior flashed a smile, knowing that her friend was at her back.

The Behemoth gave a great roar of surprise when Celeste's enchanted blade sliced into its side. But when she went to pull the blade through, she realized that it was now wedged into the creature, who was angrier than ever. Instinctively, she retracted her magic from the sword and the blade disappeared, allowing her to get away. As she moved to dodge the creature's swinging limbs, her boot caught on a rock, causing her to momentarily lose her balance. And a moment was all it took for the Behemoth to recover and lock its sights on her as she stumbled to her knees. Cassandra had turned to fight off a templar charging from her left, and so Celeste was left defenseless when the Behemoth reached down towards her, wrapped a solid lyrium fist around her shoulder, and tossed her aside like a doll.

Something sharp struck against the back of her skull and the curve of her hip, leaving a ringing sensation in her head as she fell face-down in the freezing dirt. She gasped for breath, pushing herself up onto one elbow and feeling around blindly for her staff. When her fingers brushed across the polished mahogany, she pushed herself forwards until she could wrap her hand around it. Summoning all of the strength she had left, Celeste pooled her remaining magic and sent a flood of healing energy through her own body, feeling selfish all the while. Cassandra was clearly injured, Bull was still fighting from the ground with blood seeping from the gash in his calf, and Dorian was nearly crumbling under the effort of keeping up barriers around as many as he could.

After a moment, she felt like she could breathe at least a little better, and she stood up with shaky knees. The hilt of her enchanted sword had fallen to the ground a few feet away, and Celeste leapt forward at it, curling her fingers around the delicately engraved handle, and sprung back into action just as quickly as she'd been thrown away.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as she pushed back another one of the Templars, just managing to knock him to the ground. That left just the Behemoth, and Dorian and Cassandra were putting the finishing touches on taking down the massive beast. Celeste stuffed the hilt of her sword back in her satchel and ducked around the fight, doing her best to avoid the Behemoth's line of sight as she rushed to Bull's side.

"Hold still. I got you, Bull," she said in a soothing tone as she knelt down in the freezing dirt. Rummaging through the satchel, she found one last lyrium potion and downed it quickly, grimacing at the bitter taste as it hit the back of her throat. Energy swirled through her veins, and Celeste pooled as much as she could and focused her attentions to Bull's leg. _There would be a scar,_ she mused as the wound began to close beneath her hands, but that would be nothing new for the Iron Bull. Just another war story for him to cheer about in the tavern.

"Thanks, Boss," the qunari said with a pained smile as Celeste inspected her handiwork.  He groaned and sat up, his hand moving towards his weapon a couple of feet away. As he reached for the weapon Celeste stood up and grabbed her staff, reaching her free hand down to attempt to help Bull stand up. When his attention turned back to her, his eyes went wide and he called out, "Boss, look out!"

The only other warning that she got was the sound of heavy, wheezing breath and a gargled yell as she turned to see the templar she'd knocked down a few moments ago charging at her again. She brought her staff up to try to defend herself, but the beast's lyrium arm shattered right through the staff and made a deft cut through her torso. Bull was at her side in an instant, slamming his axe through the creature and ensuring that it wouldn't be getting up again.

The Behemoth finally fell, and then Cassandra and Dorian realized what had happened. Cassandra let out a strangled cry and Dorian nearly tripped over himself in sprinting towards the fallen Inquisitor.

"Celeste!" Dorian gasped out as he reached her. She was still standing somehow, her violet eyes wide and unseeing, a broken half of her staff held in each hand as crimson began to seep through the split edges of her armor. Her knees finally gave out, her eyes fluttered shut, and Bull was there to catch her in his arms and lower her gently to the ground, where Dorian did his best to stem the bleeding.

"Dorian, do something!" Cassandra said fretfully, her usual calm completely gone for the moment.

The mage looked up at Cassandra, shaking his head helplessly. "This isn't something I can fix, Seeker. We have to get her back to camp, now. They'll have healing potions, at least." Glancing down at the Inquisitor's prone, quickly paling form, he took a deep breath and pushed up his sleeves, summoning magic to the tips of his fingers. "I'm going to keep her unconscious for now. Otherwise we'll have no way to manage her pain, and I can't watch her suffer from this."

The Iron Bull and Cassandra looked at each other, then to Dorian, and all three of them nodded together. Bull adjusted his arms carefully to cradle Celeste against his chest, then stood up slowly. Dorian, with some effort, picked up Bull's huge weapon and slung it over his back. Cassandra gave a sharp whistle, praying that the mounts hadn't wandered too far during the fight.

Luckily, the huge antlers of Bull's hart quickly appeared from the way they'd come back up the path, with Dorian's horse still attached. Cassandra's and Celeste's horses trotted up behind them, and Cassandra said a quick blessing for the expertise of Master Dennet in training the animals.

Bull placed the Inquisitor on his own hart and climbed up behind her, using one hand to take hold of the reigns and the other to keep Celeste close to his chest. Dorian untied the reigns of his horse from Bull's saddle, while Cassandra took the reins of Celeste's little Orlesian charger and attached them to her own saddle.

When everyone was settled, Cassandra gave a brisk nod and put her heels to the side of her mount, leading the party back at a gallop towards the nearest Inquisition camp.

* * *

 

Cullen looked up as he heard a timid knocking at the door of his office. Having just lit another candle to fight the darkness of his office, he sighed and set aside his matchbox and glanced back over the letter he was in the middle of writing to Celeste.

"Come in," he muttered without looking at the door, already having an idea of exactly who was coming to bother him. The scout came in, looking far less nervous than usual as he quickly crossed the room to the desk.

"Message for you, Ser. From Scout Harding." Cullen stared down at the letter that Jim placed in his hands, turning it over to find Scout Harding's seal on the back. A normal field report, then. When he looked up to thank Jim for the delivery, he realized that the scout had already fled the room. Though, there was nothing unusual about that kind of a hasty exit for the skittish lad.

He reached into his desk and pulled out the engraved letter opener that Celeste had given to him on his birthday the year before. Discarding the wax seal, he opened the message, pulled the lit candle closer so that he could better read, and settled back into his chair to read over the report. As his eyes skimmed over the first few paragraphs, Harding's blocky but neat print detailing the work on the bridge in the Emprise du Lion, he was half-tempted to set the document aside. But then his eyes found the word _Inquisitor_ in the next sentence, and then the words _gravely injured_.

As his hands began to shake, he struggled to read over Harding's report of the dragon attack, and then the subsequent run-in with Red Templars. With every word, his chest grew tighter, until he felt like there was no air to be had in his lungs.

_The Inquisitor's companions are bringing her back to Skyhold as I write this,_ the letter read. _Allowing for extra travel time, because she's being kept asleep for pain management thanks to Ser Pavus, they should be back within about twelve days._

Twelve days, travelling through the wilderness of Orlais and across the Ferelden border. Twelve days without proper medical treatment for whatever wounds that Celeste may have endured. Cullen looked back at the top corner of the page, finding the date that Scout Harding had written the report.

Ten days. She'd sent the letter ten days ago, which meant that she should be home within the next few days. Cullen let out a slow, shaky breath and set the report down on his desk, standing and moving to look out the small window of his office. He couldn't see the mountains tonight, with the moon passing through its dark phase, but the frigid air still swept across his cheeks, grounding him for the moment as he tried to gather his thoughts.

_They weren't due back yet,_ he told himself _. She'll be home soon._ The best thing he could do for her now was to make sure that the infirmary, the surgeon, and any useful mages were prepared for her arrival. Steeling himself against his fears of losing Celeste, Cullen snatched his cloak off of his chair and wrapped it around his shoulders. The candle's flame flickered against the frigid breeze as he pushed open the door to his study and marched through the bustle of Skyhold, never slowing until he reached the place where Vivienne usually reclined with her books.


	3. Distant Light, Whispered Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cullen sets out to bring Celeste back home.

Twelve days, the letter had said. Twelve days until Celeste and her companions were due back at Skyhold.

Cullen had counted every day, every hour, every moment since he'd read Scout Harding's report. Fourteen days had passed since the date written on Harding's letter, and both Josephine and Leliana had run out of excuses as to why they hadn't made it back yet. As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Cullen sent messengers to both Josephine and Leliana's offices, indicating that he was headed out to find Celeste's party.

His hands shook as he readied his horse, pulling the straps tight on the saddle and cinching down the bag of supplies he was taking. A stock of health potions, food enough for a few days of travel, and an entire pouch of bandages and elfroot, in the hopes that between himself, Dorian, Cassandra, and the Iron Bull, they could manage to patch her up enough to get her back to Skyhold.

Leliana was waiting for him by the gates. He led his mount by the reigns, stopping when the Spymaster held up a hand towards him.

"I still do not think this is wise," she murmured, eyes meeting his with thinly-veiled concern. "They'll be back soon, and the Inquisitor will be taken care of. You won't be doing anyone any favors by wandering off into the Frostbacks with no indication of where exactly they are right now."

"I have to try." Cullen had to struggle not to let his voice crack with the anxiety that had been crushing him for days now. "She's out there, Leliana, and she's hurt, badly. I've waited around here as long as I can. I have to do this."

Leliana hung her head and sighed deeply, lowering her hands to her sides. "Please, Commander. Please be very, very careful." Cullen nodded briskly  and turned away, fitting one foot into a stirrup and hauling himself up into the saddle with ease. The iron gate rose slowly, until it was finally open enough for him to put heels to his horse's side.

The chilled wind of the Frostback mountains bit at his cheeks as the horse carried him out of Skyhold at a gallop. Even with his thick cloak and numerous layers of travel gear, the cold seeped into his bones impossibly quickly. But he was determined to move on, to find Celeste and do whatever it took to make sure that she would be okay. The thought of losing her, after having been through so much together, having come so far since the Conclave, made every limb ache and stole the breath from his lungs any time it passed through his mind.

He couldn't lose her. Not like this.

* * *

 

There, just on the horizon. Cullen nearly sobbed a breath of relief as he just barely made out a flicker of orange against the white of the mountain snow. His horse was exhausted, as was he, but he slid out of the saddle and took the reins in his hand, gently pulling the horse onward towards the spot of light a few hundred yards ahead.

He could hardly feel his fingers by now, and he'd long since lost feeling in his cheeks, with the frosted winds seemingly blowing clear through the scarf he had pulled up over his nose. But now there was a light up ahead, and the hope that he had finally found Celeste and her party was enough to push him forward for the final stretch up the snow-covered hill.

There was just one large tent set up, and Cullen could instantly make out the silhouette of the Iron Bull's horns in the flickering shadows on the wall of the tent. Well, less of an actual tent and more like they'd managed to construct one larger tent from the parts of multiple individual smaller ones. Soft murmurs came from within, the voices belonging to Bull, Dorian, and Cassandra whispering about something unintelligible. The party's mounts were all huddled together on the other side of the tent, each of the horses leaning close to the Iron Bull's massive red hart in order to stay as warm as possible.  Cullen immediately recognized Celeste's Orlesian Charger, Speckles, amongst them, and Speckles recognized his own horse and let out a soft  whinny. When Cullen's own mount responded in kind, trotting over to its companions, everyone inside the tent stiffened and went silent. The shadows of Bull's horns rose and wavered toward the mouth of the tent, before he emerged with his axe in hand. Cullen put up his hands in surrender, and when Bull realized who it was his face split into a surprised grin. The qunari beckoned him in to the tent, and Cullen was more than grateful for the warmth that enveloped him as soon as he entered.

"We got a visitor, guys," Bull chuckled, scooting back into the corner of the tent to make some more room. Cassandra waved Cullen towards her and patted the bedroll at her side, and Dorian used one hand to wave pleasantly at the newcomer. The mage's other hand was occupied with a little ball of flame, the source of both warmth and light for all those gathered.

And then there was Celeste, quiet and still and unsmiling. As he took the offered place by Cassandra, Cullen delicately wrapped his fingers around her own, gasping softly at how limp her hands seemed to be now. Her face was so pale, silhouetted against the auburn of her hair. One of her companions had put pillows beneath her head, another of them sacrificing their blanket so that Celeste would be kept warm.

"I'm keeping her asleep for now," Dorian said quietly, looking down at his cousin's silent form. "The pain would be too much to bear for such a long journey, and this way we've been able to change the bandages without hurting her any further."

"Speaking of bandages," Cullen said, digging into his pack, "I brought extras. Thought you might need some more after all this travelling."

"That was smart of you, Cullen. We were beginning to run out. We would've been back sooner, but - "

The commander held up a hand to quiet Dorian. "It's all right. You're only about a day and a half of travel  from Skyhold. I... thank you, all of you. For taking care of her out here."

The other three people in the tent all shrugged nonchalantly, not meeting Cullen's eyes. After a long moment of silence, the Iron Bull shifted and pulled another blanket from the satchel behind him, passing it to Cullen.

"We should rest up," the qunari said, already curling up as comfortably as he could in the smallest space possible. Cassandra nodded her agreement and pulled the blanket in her lap up over her shoulders, choosing to sleep sitting up. Cullen also remained sitting up, but kept one hand around Celeste's and used the other hand to gently stroke her hair back from her face. Over and over, he ran his hand over the auburn waves, going long into the night and far past the point when Dorian extinguished the magelight he'd been holding. 

When they woke in the morning, Cassandra's head was against Cullen's shoulder, the Iron Bull was sprawled across the front end of the tent, and Dorian was curled into a ball in a corner. Cassandra was the first to rise, shaking the others awake gently, and then she and the Iron Bull set about gathering their things while Dorian and Cullen made sure that Celeste was bundled up with enough blankets to be warm on the trip home.

Once everything was packed, Cullen pulled himself up into the saddle of his horse, holding his arms out as the Iron Bull handed Celeste into his arms. Cullen settled her in front of him and wrapped his cloak about her as well as he could manage, hoping that it along with the blankets would be enough to keep her warm for the day's travels. Her head rested against his shoulder as they set out, Cullen in the lead of the party as they set out toward Skyhold.

* * *

 

Cullen had no idea how long he'd been sitting outside of Celeste's quarters, slumped forward with his head against his knees. The ever-present Orlesian noblewomen had stopped tittering amongst themselves long ago, recognizing his tortured expression and discontinuing their blatant attempts at flirtatious glances.

At first, he'd been sitting there with only Varric and a few pints of ale for company. But as the hours passed, the ale disappeared, though Varric had yet to take even a sip. Luckily, Bull showed up, with Sera and Blackwall close behind, all of them toting as many full mugs as they could carry. As more and more companions gathered around the door of the Inquisitor's quarters, the mood began to lighten, as everyone tried to distract Cullen from imagining how badly things could have gone. Even now the situation was grim, though when Cullen had first laid Celeste down on her bed Vivienne had said that her chances were still fairly good.

From behind the door, Cullen suddenly heard the faint click of heeled shoes against stone. He scrambled to his feet and stood in front of the door, breathless as the handle turned and Vivienne and the surgeon appeared. Vivienne was readjusting the sleeves of her coat, pushing them back down from her elbows and smoothing out the wrinkles with a meticulous eye. The surgeon slipped around her and folded her toolkit into the leather bag she wore draped across her shoulder.

The smaller, wiry woman looked up at Cullen, blinking until he stepped aside to get out of the doorway. When she found herself in the middle of all the gathered companions, she cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest.

"The Inquisitor will be all right," she began, but the rest of her words were drowned out by the half-drunken cheering of everyone around her. The surgeon closed her eyes, frowning, waiting for the noise to die down. When even Bull's voice had softened back to silence, the slender woman nodded once, as if to acknowledge that she once again had everyone's attention.

"As I was saying, the Inquisitor will be fine. However, it will be a few weeks until she is ready to go out into the field again. She is not to leave Skyhold until further notice. Now, everyone disperse please. You will all be notified when she can receive visitors."

When no one appeared willing to move, the surgeon rolled her eyes, huffed, and waved at all of them dismissively. "Shoo, all of you. Go on, now."

The crowd dispersed quickly then, with most of the people headed out towards the tavern to refill their empty mugs. Cullen, of course, lingered behind, letting out a ragged sigh of relief when Dorian was the next person to come through the door. His friend gave him a sympathetic smile, glancing around to make sure that everyone else had left before putting his hands on Cullen's shoulders. Cullen met his eyes hesitantly, afraid that he'd find some sort of warning there, perhaps she wasn't as all right as the surgeon had said. But the mage just nodded once, slowly, and gave Cullen's shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"She'll be fine, Cullen. Tired, sore for a while, but she'll be all right."

Cullen half-laughed, feeling some of his tension seep out of his bones with the reassurance that she was okay. "Thank you, Dorian. I appreciate all you did to help her on the way back to Skyhold."

"My pleasure. She's awake now, by the way. I've been told to stand guard here and not allow visitors, but she asked to see you." Dorian gave a sly smirk and moved away from the door, waving for Cullen to move on through towards the Inquisitor's quarters. "I'll make an exception for the Commander. You probably have important... reports to take to her or something, I don't know."

When Cullen remained where he was, chuckling at Dorian's banter, the mage shook his head, rolled his eyes, and physically shoved the larger man through the door, shutting it behind him. Cullen was still laughing as he ascended the stairs, but he'd quieted by the time he reached Celeste's bedroom.

The doors to her balconies were closed, sunlight filtering in through the stained glass and throwing shards of multicolored light all across the room. The floating magical lights that usually hovered near her couch had been extinguished, leaving the room dim even at the height of noon.

Celeste's usually strong, confident form looked frail and pathetic amidst the huge mass of pillows around her. Even as he stood at the top of the stairs, he could see how much her freckles stood out against her frighteningly pale cheeks. Her auburn hair was pulled into a very neat, intricate braid, which Cullen suspected was probably the handiwork of Dorian, at Celeste's own request. Cullen moved, quietly as he could manage, to the couch, unpinning his cloak and draping it across the back of the couch. He slowly padded over to the desk and picked up a chair, wincing when there was a drag of wooden legs across the floor. When he turned to bring the chair back to Celeste's bedside, he realized that she had stirred awake, and was now peering at him through half-lidded, sleepy eyes.

He hurried over to her and set the chair down, close enough that when he sat he could still take her fragile hand in his. His other hand went instinctively to her cheek, and she managed to muster the energy to turn her head and press a feather-soft kiss to his palm. Cullen struggled to speak through the emotions swelling in his throat: peace, warmth, overwhelming relief.

"Celeste, I. . . I thought. . ."

Her free hand moved up towards his cheek, but the movement brought a pained gasp to her lips and she quickly lowered her arm back to her side. Cullen frowned and sighed, but she just shook her head and gave a small smile. "I'm good, I'm okay."

He glanced down towards where her torso lay concealed by her thick blankets.

"May I?"

She gave a slow, careful nod and raised her arms just enough that Cullen could peel back the covers. He had to bite his cheek to keep from crying out at what he saw when the blankets were pulled down to her hips. A smarted red line ran from sternum to the dip of her waist, partially marring her right breast. Another line, nearly parallel to the first, went from just beneath her left ribs to a few inches below her navel. There were salves pasted over every inch of the wounds, but the cuts were still visible even so. They'd been closed with precise stitches thanks to the surgeon, and each of the two major cuts were covered in a bitter-smelling salve of royal elfroot. Suddenly, he felt terrible for all those times he'd gently teased her about the amount of time she spent tending to Skyhold's garden, cultivating all manner of rare and common plants in case of an emergency. He'd called the garden a waste of space at first, arguing that more refugee cots might have been set up there. But she'd insisted, and still managed to find another place for more people to sleep, going so far as to outrage Josephine by renovating most of the guest quarters into living spaces for refugee families.

Tears smarted in his eyes as he thought of how many times she'd sacrificed of herself for the greater good, always doing what was best for others. And now here she was, lying helpless in a bed with grievous injuries, all because she'd come to the aid of her friend in battle. Before he could untangle his fingers from hers to wipe the tears away, he felt them racing down his cheeks in quick succession. He snorted and lowered his head, hoping that she'd missed it.

But of course, she hadn't. She always saw. "Hey now, there's no need for that," Celeste murmured, kissing his palm again with a slight turn of her head. "I'll be just fine. You don't have to worry about me so much, you know." She patted the bed weakly beside her, and Cullen stood up to walk around to the other side of the bed. He pulled off his boots and settled gingerly into the mattress, laying just close enough to Celeste that he could take hold of her hand and press a kiss to her shoulder.

"I have every cause to worry," he replied as he peppered more kisses against her skin. "I almost lost you, and this isn't the first time. Even if Corypheus is already gone, the Inquisition still needs you. We'd all be dead without you. I'd be utterly lost."

"I'm sorry, my love."

Cullen breathed in another sigh, shaking his head. "There is no need to apologize. I'm just glad that you're safe, honestly. But don't you ever almost-die again, you hear me?"

A smirk toyed across her lips as her grip on his fingers tightened.

"Is that an order, Commander?" Her chin tilted down towards him, just enough to be an unmistakable invitation. Cullen shifted on the bed until their noses brushed gently together, grinning as he whispered against her lips.

"Absolutely, Inquisitor."


End file.
